I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

Li Jing'an leaned back in his leather chair in the office, his legs propped up on the edge of the desk, holding a microphone in one hand and a cigarette between the other, the smoke rising straight up.

On the other end of the phone was Zhang Qiuqiao, his tone clearly surprised: "Jing'an, what's going on? I heard you really signed Li Shuo up for the 'Down to the Countryside Movement'?"

"Brother Zhang, you're really well-informed." Li Jing'an exhaled a puff of smoke and said with a wry smile, "I just finished the formalities and had Jialing send me off today. I should be on the train by now, and you've already called."

"It's all over the world, how could I not know?" Zhang Qiuqiao's voice deepened. "Li Shuo is only fourteen this year, right? He's not even old enough. What are you up to?"

"Yes, that's not enough. I changed his age by two years." Li Jing'an tapped the air with his cigarette, "so that the kid won't cause me any more trouble."

"What kind of trouble warrants sending him to the countryside? Tell me about it."

"Well, it's not a big deal, really." Li Jing'an put his legs off the table and leaned forward. "It's just a little squabble between kids at school. Li Shuo is a real troublemaker. The main problem is that the other kid's family—is affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences."

"Chinese Academy of Sciences?"

"Yes. The Chinese Academy of Sciences has a new manager now, and the new guy is probably going to establish his authority right away. I just landed in Japan and the phone call came right away," Li Jing'an said, his voice tinged with exhaustion.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then Zhang Qiuqiao's voice was filled with doubt: "It can't be that bad, can it? If the kids have a fight, at most the school will give them a few words of criticism. How could it get to the point where you'd voluntarily send your son to the countryside?"

"Sigh~ There's nothing I can do!" Li Jing'an narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice. "Perhaps some of the older comrades have been suppressed for too long, and I just happened to be the one who got caught in the crossfire."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.

Li Jing'an added, his tone clearly probing: "Brother Zhang, look at these old comrades, they're coming in droves, their influence is terrifying. How can my small frame possibly withstand them?"

On the other end of the phone, Zhang Qiuqiao finally spoke, his voice low and slow: "Jing'an, we've noticed what you're saying too. They've been making too many moves lately, their intentions are obvious!—They want to completely negate the achievements of the revolution over the years."

Li Jing'an perked up and straightened his back a bit: "Right, you felt it too? I was thinking of avoiding their sharp edge for now, and having Li Shuo go down and wait for a while to lay low."

"Jing'an, you're being too cautious." Zhang Qiuqiao's tone suddenly became firm. "Since they can come up, we can make them go down again. The outcome is still uncertain."

Li Jing'an looked down at the cigarette in his hand, the smoke still rising straight up: "Brother Zhang, it's not that I don't trust you—it's just that they have soldiers."

There was another long silence on the other end of the phone.

After a long silence, Zhang Qiuqiao's voice rang out again, each word carefully enunciated: "Those soldiers weren't theirs either."

He paused, then continued, "Unfortunately, the one at the top won't budge; he just wants to see us fight amongst ourselves. They have the guns, but we have the power. But it's okay—we're still fighting for it, taking a roundabout approach. What we can't get head-on, we'll build ourselves."

Li Jing'an shook his head slightly, a bitter smile playing on his lips, but he didn't reply. He knew in his heart that that path was a dead end. What was the point of forming a militia? Without targeting the regular army, it would never amount to anything. But he could also understand—back then, those guys were truly desperate. Who in the regular army listened to them? Who took them seriously? Finding another way out was just trying to survive in a dead end.

---

In the long corridor of the Ministry of Metallurgical building, Office Director Xiao Liu led a young woman forward, their leather shoes making a crisp sound on the terrazzo floor.

"Xiao Wang," Director Liu of the office said as they walked, his tone friendly, "the fact that you were chosen to be Minister Li's secretary shows how highly the organization values ​​you. You must seize this opportunity and serve your leader well."

The girl looked to be in her early twenties, her face still bearing the naiveté of a student; she was a worker-peasant-soldier college graduate who had just been assigned to the Ministry of Metallurgy. She was currently experiencing a mix of excitement and apprehension. Half of her excitement was palpable—a meteoric rise to become the secretary of the head of the Ministry of Metallurgy, something many wouldn't even dare to dream of; the other half was fear—what if she didn't do well and angered such a high-ranking official? Her fingers unconsciously gripped her sleeve, her knuckles turning white.

Director Liu noticed her subtle movements and chuckled, "Xiao Wang, don't be nervous. Minister Li is very kind to his subordinates and never puts on airs. He's especially good at taking care of younger colleagues; he's incredibly kind. You'll see when you meet him."

"Oh, thank you, Director Liu." The girl nodded, her voice barely audible, though her heart was still pounding.

"It's the first time, everyone's like this." Director Liu waved his hand. "I remember the first time I met the minister, my legs were shaking. You'll get used to it."

The girl forced a smile, but her steps grew increasingly stiff.

After walking a few more steps, Director Liu suddenly slowed down and turned his head: "But I have to make this clear to you—your job isn't just about handling official business during work hours. You also need to be attentive to your personal life, care for your superiors, look after their needs, and anticipate their concerns. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand." The girl nodded repeatedly, but her eyes darted around nervously. On either side of the corridor were rows of tightly closed, dark brown wooden doors, each bearing a nameplate: "Finance Department," "Planning Department," "Mining and Metallurgy Department"... This was the heart of the national metallurgical system, and she was going to see the highest-ranking person in that center. Thinking of this, her throat tightened, and her legs felt unsteady.

As they were walking, Director Liu suddenly stomped his foot, and the girl almost bumped into his back.

Director Liu turned around, his smile vanishing, his eyes becoming exceptionally serious: "Xiao Wang, you used to be a student, but today, as you walk through the gates of the Ministry of Metallurgy, you begin your career. I have a piece of advice for you, and you must remember it."

The girl was stunned by his expression; her palms were sweating, and she didn't dare to breathe, only nodding vigorously.

Director Liu stared into her eyes and said, enunciating each word clearly, "In our Ministry of Metallurgy, Minister Li is the supreme authority. Whatever Minister Li says goes. You only need to remember one word—obedience. Understand?"

The young woman opened her mouth, her voice trembling slightly, "Understood, Director Liu."

Director Liu looked at her for two seconds to make sure she understood, then turned and walked away. The girl followed behind, her lips moving silently, repeating the word over and over: obedience, obedience, obedience…

---

"Clang clang."

"Come in."

Li Jing'an had already hung up the phone, put his legs off the table, straightened his clothes, and his face returned to its usual indifferent expression.

Office Director Xiao Liu pushed open the door and bowed slightly: "Minister Li, the new secretary has arrived. What do you think..."

"Oh?" Li Jing'an tossed the pen he was holding onto the table, leaned back in his chair, and became somewhat interested. "Bring it in and let me take a look."

He had already seen the file. The girl's surname was Wang, she was from Northeast China, and she was tall, over 1.7 meters, which was quite a height in those days. Her parents were both veteran employees in the metallurgical system. She worked in the factory for two years before being recommended to university. After graduation, she was picked out from a pile of files by Xiao Liu, and finally, Li Jing'an made the final decision himself.

"Xiao Wang, come in." Xiao Liu waved towards the door.

A tall figure walked in, her steps hesitant, her head down, her hands unsure of what to do, sometimes clutching the hem of her clothes, sometimes letting them hang by her sides.

"Okay, okay, okay." Li Jing'an leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over her from head to toe, a smile slowly spreading across his lips as he said "okay" three times.

Seeing Li Jing'an's expression, Xiao Liu finally felt a weight lifted from his heart after two months. Heaven knows how many files he had gone through and how many candidates he had screened during this time—one was deemed too fat, another too short, another not handsome enough… all were rejected by this picky minister. He was so worried he was practically balding.

"Xiao Liu, you can go out now." Li Jing'an waved his hand. "I want to talk to Xiao Wang alone."

The door clicked shut.

Only two people remained in the room, so quiet that you could hear the second hand of the old-fashioned wall clock ticking away.